Channeling-machine.



F. E. BERTRAND.

GHANNELIN G MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 2, 1913.

1,098,() 10. Patented May 26, 1914.

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a1 is .1.

F. EIBERTRAND.

CHANNELING MAGHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2, 1913.

Patented May 26, 1914.

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P.- B. BERTRAND.

' GHANNELING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 2, 1913. I Patented May 26, 1914.

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Java/z??? MMMLM UNITED SATES PATENT FEEDER-IO E. BERTRAND, OF SWAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSUN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW' JERSEY.

CHANNELING-MACHINE.

App1icat-ion filed January 2, 1913.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 739,904.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Funnnnio E. BERTRAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Swampscott, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Channeling-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to machines used in the manufacture of boots and shoes for forming a channel or feather, or both, in the marginal portion of an insole, such machines being known generally as channeling machines, and more particularly to that type of channeling machine for operating upon welt insoles disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,023,801 issued to the United Shoe Machinery Company on an application filed by the present inventor. The machine disclosed in this patent is provided with channeling devices supported on a carrier mounted for oscillating movement forward and backward over a sole support and a reciprocating work retainer for clamping the sole on the support. When the carrier moves forward the work retainer is elevated from the sole to permit it to be fed. On the backward movement of the carrier the work retainer is lowered to firmly engage the surface of the sole in order to hold it for the out of the channeling devices car ried by the carrier. In this machine the carrier is actuated by a cam and the work retainer is actuated by an eccentric. In the commercial operation of this machine it is found that the carrier actuating cam is subject to considerable wear, so much so, as to require its frequent renewal. In order to prolong the life of this cam it has been found necessary to lower the speed limit of the machine which is undesirable in that it increases the time required by an operative to complete his stint.

In order to permit the machine to operate at its highest speed without excessive wear of the operating mechanism it'has been proposed to substitute an eccentric for the carrier actuating cam. To do this it is necessary, in order to operate the oscillating carrier and the reciprocating work retainer in their proper sequence, to mount the carrier actuating and work retainer operating eccentrics in such angular relation to each other that when the carrier actuating eccentrio is at the limit of its forward throw the work retainer eccentric is completing the first half of its downward throw. This arrangement is found necessary in order to insure the engagement of the work retainer with the sole during the cutting stroke of the carrier and the disengagement of the work retainer from the sole during the feeding stroke of the carrier. This arrangement is practicable when operating upon insoles having a thickness greater than half the throw of the eccentric because there is then no danger of the work retainer striking the sole support when the machine is running idle, that is, while the operative is removing a channeled blank and inserting another blank in the machine. When, however, with the double eccentric mechanism, attempt was made to channel insole blanks having a' thickness equal to or less than half the throw of the work retainer eccentric it was found necessary to stop the machine after the operation on each blank before the blank could be safely removed. This is due to the fact that the work retainer, having engaged a blank of a thickness less than half the throw of its eccentric at the completion of the first half of its downward throw, would strike the sole support during the second half of the downward throw of the eccentric if the machine was run idle.

The object of the present invention is the provision of means, in a machine of the character described, for preventing the engagement of the work retainer with the sole support when no sole is in the machine and particularly when the machine is adjusted to operate upon insole blanks having a thickness equal to or less than half the throw of the work retainer operating eccentric.

To the accomplishment of this object the features of the invention relate to certain de vices, combinations and arrangements of parts, hereinafter described and then set forth in detail in the appended claims possessing advantages which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

The various features of the present invention will be best understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings, showing the best form of the invention at present known tothe inventor, in which,

Figure 1 is a left side elevation of the machine, including a portion of the base upon which the head is mounted. Fig. 2 is a partial, sectional elevation on the line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a partial, sectional plan on the line 33, Fig. 1; Fig. t is a partial plan, and Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are left side elevations showing various positions of the work retainer.

The construction and mode of operation of the machine shown in the drawings, except for the additional features embodied in the present invention, are substantially identical to the construction and mode of operation of the machine disclosed in the above mentioned patent. This type of machine when fitted for operating upon welt insoles is provided with channel and edge knives carried by a carrier mounted for movement forward and backward over a sole support, presser gages associated with the channel and edge knives, an edge gage movable both across and in the line of feed, and a yieldingly mounted work retainer provided with a foot which has a serrated under surface for firmly engaging the surface of the sole. The sole is fed on the forward movement of the knife carrier by the presser gages, the knives at this time riding over the surface of the sole and when the limit of the stroke of the carrier is reached the work retaining foot is moved downinto contact with the sole to hold it rigidly from movement. As the knife carrier moves backward the knives enter the sole, move toward the work retainer and cut the channel and slit the edge of the sole.

In the embodiment of the invention illustratedin the drawings the channel and edge knives and their presser 'agesare carried by a carrier 1 (Fig. 3) which is mounted upon a pair of bearings 2' (Fig. 1) journaled in and extending transversely of the machine frame. The carrier 1 is oscillated about cone bearings 2 from an eccentric 3 (Fig. 3) on a horizontal shaft 4t journaled in the machine frame. The connection between the carrier 1 and the eccentric 3 consists of an eccentric strap and link 5 pivotally connected to one end of a crank 6 having a bearing on a stud 7 (Fig. 1) journaled in a bracket 8 (Fig. 3) on the machine-frame. The crank 6 is connected by a tie piece 9 to a second crank 10 which is connected to the carrier 1 by means of a link 11 (Fig. 1). Through the connections described a rotation of the eccentric 3 will impart an oscillatory motion of constant amplitude to the carrier 1 about its bearing 2.

In order to hold the sole during the backward movement of the carrier 1 to enable the knives to do their work the machine of the drawings is provided with a presserfoot or work retainer 12 (Fig. 1) which is mounted on the lower end of a carrier consisting of a rod 13 (Figs. 2 and 3) Vertically movable in a bracket it pro jecting laterally from a slide 15 vertically movable in ways formed in the machine frame. The slide 15 is provided with a friction block 16 (Fig. 3) which embraces a pin 17 eccentrically formed on the end of the shaft 4. Through the connections described the presser foot 12 is vertically re ciprocated during the operation of the machine to alternately clamp the sole for the cut of the knives and release the sole for the feed. To permit the presser foot 12 to yield upon engagement with the work a spring 18 is coiled around the rod 13 and interposed between the bottom of the bracket 1% and a nut 19 threaded for adjustment upon the rod 13.

As the oscillating movements of the carrier 1 and the reciprocating movements of the presser foot 12 are imparted by eccentrics it is necessary, in order to obtain the proper sequence of operation of the carrier 1 and presser foot 12 in the cycle of operations of the machine, to mount the eccentrics on the shaft at in such angular relation that when the eccentric 3 has oscillated the carrier 1 to its limit of forward, or feed, movement the eccentric 1'? will have completed the first half of its throw in moving the presser foot downward. 1f the presser foot engages the sole when the eccentric completes the first half of its downward throw the sole is clamped during the time that the carrier 1 oscillates backward 011 the cutting stroke. During the cut-ting stroke of the knives the spring 18 is first tensioned while the eccentric 17 completes its downward throw and is then released while the eccentric 17 completes the first half of its upward throw. When the eccentric 17 completes the first half of its upward throw the sole is unclamped at which time the carrier 1 has completed its cutting stroke and is ready to again start on its feeding stroke. In order that the presser foot 12 may engage insoles of varying thickness at the half throw of the eccentric 17 downward, the rod 13 is threaded to engage an interiorly threaded thimble 19 (Fig. 2) provided with a hexagonal head 20 which normally rests upon the top of the bracket 14. By turning the thimble 19 the vertical position of the presser foot 12 may be varied as desired. To look the thimble 19 in its adjusted position on the rod 13 the thimble carries an adjustable tap bolt 21 arranged to abut against the upper end of the rod 13.

In practice the throw of the work retainer eccentric is g of an inch. When the machine is to operate upon an insole blank having a thickness slightly greater than 3 g of an inch the presser foot is preliminarily adjust-ed in the usualmanner so that it engages the blank when the eccentric 17 has completed half its throw downward. The machine is then thrown into operation and the blank is channeled. Now if the channeled blank is removed from the machine several cycles of movement of the mechanism of the machine will occur before the operative is able to insert a new blank in the machine. As the presser foot is preliminarily adjusted to engage a-blankhaving a thickness slightly greater than of an inch when the eccentric 17 has completed half its throw downward, it will be apparent that when running with no work in the machine, at the completion of the downward throw of the eccentric, the presser foot will clear the sole support by a distance equal to the amount of thickness'the removed blank has ineXcess of of an inch. If, however, the presser foot is preliminarily adjusted to engage a blank having a thickness equal to or less than g of an inch at the half stroke of the eccentric downward, it will be apparent that, when the machine is running idle the presser foot will strike the sole support at or just prior to the completion of the downward throw of the eccentric unless some preventivedevice is provided in the machine.

In order to insure the non-engagement of the sole support and presser foot when the machine is running idle with the presser foot adjusted to engage a blank having a thickness equal to or less than half the throw of the work retainer eccentric, the thimble 19 is eXteriorly threaded, with threads of the same pitch as its interior threads, to engage an interiorly threaded block 22 which is embraced by the arms of a yoke 23 (Figs. 2 and 1) formed on one arm 24 of a yoke frame 25 loosely pivoted on a rod 2'6 carried by the machine frame. The other arm 27 of the yoke frame 25 carries an adjustable stop screw 28, arranged to engage a stationary part of the machine frame, and which is locked in adjusted position on the arm 27 by a lock nut 29. To determine the proper normal position of this stop a blank having a thickness slightly greater than of an inch is placed upon the sole support and the presser foot 12 is so adjusted that it will engage the blank when the eccentric 17 has completed the first half of its downward throw. The parts are now in the position illustrated in Fig. 5. The blank is then removed and the machine is turned over by hand until the eccentric 17 has completed its downward throw. Now the locknut 29 is loosened and the stop 28 is adjusted on the arm 27 until it just clears the frame of the machine as shown in dotted lines in. Fig. 6. The stop 28 is then firmly locked in its adjusted position which need never be changed again unless the throw of the presser foot is altered. If during the subsequent use of the machine it is desired to operate upon blanks having a thickness equal to or less than 3 of an inch the presser foot 12 is adjusted downward by manipulation of the thimble 19, to a position where it will engage the insole at the completion of the first half of the downward throw of the eccentric 17. As the interior and exterior threads on the thimble 19 are of equal pitch it will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 2 that the stop 28 will be moved toward the frame of the machine adistance equal to the distance throughwhich it is necessary to move the presser foot 12 downward in order to cause it to engage the insole to be operated upon when the eccentric 17 completes the first half of its downward throw. Now if the machine is run idle the stop 28 will strike the frame of the machine just prior to the completion of the last half of the downward throw of the eccentric 17. WVhen the stop 28 strikes the frame (Fig. 7) continued movement of the eccentric 17 lowers the bracket 141 away from the thimble 19 against the force of the spring 18 without imparting further downward movement to the presser foot 12 which is held stationary until, upon the upward throw of the eccentric 17, the bracket 1% again engages the thimble 19. Thus a harmful engagement of the presser foot 12 and work support 1 is prevented however thin the blank may be.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in connection with the ma chine of the inventors Patent No. 1,023,801 it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited in its use to this particular type of machine.

The nature and scope of the present invention having been indicated and one form having been specifically described, what is claimed as new, is

1. A sole machine, having in combination, a knife, a sole support, a presser foot movable toward and from the sole support to alternately clamp the sole for the cut of the knife and release the sole for the feed, and an adjustable stop for insuring the non-engagement of the sole support and presser foot when no sole is in the machine, substantially as described.

2. A sole machine, having, in combination, a sole support, a presser foot adjustable for engagement with soles of different thickness, an eccentric for actuating the presser foot toward and from the sole support, and independent means operating when no sole is in the machine to limit the movement of the presser foot toward the sole support when the presser foot is adjusted to operate upon soles having a thickness equal to, or less than, half the throw of the eccentric, substantially as described.

3. A sole machine, having, in combinaa thickness greater than half the throw of the eccentric, and means for preventing the engagement of the presser foot and the sole support when the presser foot is adjusted to operate upon soles having a thickness equal to, or less than, half the throw of the eccentric, substantially as described.

4. A sole machine, having, in combination, a sole support, a presser foot, an eccentric for actuating the presser foot toward and from the sole support, means for adjusting the presser foot to cause it to engage the sole at simultaneously the completion of half the downward throw of the eccentric, and means for preventing the presser foot from striking the sole support when a sole having a thickness equal to, or less than, half the throw of the eccentric is withdrawn from the machine, substantially as described.

5. A sole machine, having, in combination, a sole support, a presser foot, a presser foot carrier, an eccentric for actuating the presser foot toward and from the sole support,

a stop connected to the carrier and arranged to move toward and from a stationary part of the machine frame, means permitting the stop to be normally positioned a distance substantially equal to the throw of the eccentric above the stationary part, and means for varying the normal position of the stop in accordance with the thickness of the sole inserted into the machine, substantially as described.

6. A sole machine, having, in combination, a presser foot, a presser foot carrier, a yoke frame having one arm connected tothe carrier, and a stop mounted on the other arm of the yoke frame and arranged to engage a stationary part of the machine frame, substantially as described.

7 A sole machine, having, in combination, a work retainer, a work retainer carrier having a threaded portion, a stop, a stop carrier having a threaded portion, and a thimble provided with exterior and interior threads of equal pitch arranged to engage respectively the threaded portions of the stop and work retainer carriers, substantially as described.

F REDERIO E. BERTRAND. Witnesses:

CHESTER E. Rooms, LAURA M. GooDnIDGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents, Washington, 13,0.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,098,010, granted May 26, 1914, upon the application of Frederic E. Bertrand, of Swampscott, Massachusetts, for an improvement in Channeling-Machines, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 4, line 20, for the Word simultaneously read substantially; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 7th day of July, A. D., 1914.

SEAL R. F. WHITEHEAD,

Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

